The Australian bushfires of 2019/2020, closely followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, have brought crisis care capabilities for people living with MS to the forefront. Currently, there is scarce research exploring the impact of natural disasters and pandemics in the MS population. More generally, research has shown that individuals living with disability may be up to four times more likely to sustain injuries or death in disaster circumstances compared to the general population. This is mainly due to impairments in areas such as mobility, cognition and communication. At present there are no formal recommendations in place to guide management of people living with MS in times of crises.
Associate Professor Yvonne Learmonth and her team will explore the prevalence and impact of the 2019/2020 bushfires and pandemic on the healthcare of people living with MS in Australia. They will perform interviews and surveys to understand the experiences and responses of people affected. Analysing this information will provide the foundations for developing a toolkit for healthcare-based disaster management for people with MS in the future. It is also anticipated that this toolkit will also be useful for people living with disability from other conditions, and that it can be refined to their specific needs. This would broaden the impact of this research across the wider community.
Associate Professor Learmonth and her team collaborated with the Australian Red Cross and co-designed a Crisis Toolkit in partnership with the MS Community. This Crisis Toolkit was tested for its usefulness and made freely available at the start of the 2024/2025 summer. The Crisis Toolkit is designed to help people with MS better prepare for a range of crises, including maintaining health behaviours, accessing healthcare and connecting with relevant services and support networks.
The Toolkit was tested by 14 people with MS who have moderate to severe disability, lived in disaster-prone areas, and did not have a current disaster plan. Most participants found the Crisis Toolkit useful and reported increased and sustained confidence in knowing what to do in a crisis. They also reported improvements in resilience and disaster preparedness, and a reduction in stress, that continued over three months. MS nurses supported seven participants to complete their disaster plans.
Having MS nurses assist with implementing the Crisis Toolkit was helpful, though more support may be needed for larger trials. Further research is needed to evaluate how well the Toolkit works in other groups and to understand its long-term benefits. The MS nurses identified that existing relationships with clients and knowledge of their medical needs helped make the Toolkit easier to complete.
The Crisis Toolkit has the potential to deliver economic and social benefits by reducing the impact of crisis events and improving outcomes for people with MS during and after crisis events.
Updated 31 March 2025
Dr Claudia Marck
Dr Brody Heritage
Dr Lisa Gibbs
Dr Ingrid van der Mei
Dr Petra Skeffington
Dr Allan Kermode
Professor Diana Walker
$230,000
2021
3 years
Current project
